As the semiprofessional cynics prepared to unleash their contrarianism at the end of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," they might have missed the dedication slipped into the front end of the credits: "In loving memory of our princess, Carrie Fisher."

Upon seeing this simple but appropriate love note with my family, a mild debate started about which year was more brutal in the category of celebrity deaths, 2016 or 2017.

As always, both of those years also saw familiar but not as legendary names pass on to their eternal reward, with the relentless drumbeat of events running the risk of their departures being lost in the noise. Let us pause to pay tribute to those not-quite-as-famous celebrities who left the stage over the past year:

William Peter Blatty (Jan. 12): He scared the bejesus out of the world with a little book and screenplay called "The Exorcist."

Charlie Murphy (April 12):Eddie Murphy's older brother secured his own legacy by telling a few choice tales about Prince and Rick James on "Chapelle's Show."

Clifton James (April 15): His drawling Sheriff Pepper was such a hit in "Live and Let Die" that he was sent on an unlikely vacation in Bangkok to reunite with James Bond in "The Man With the Golden Gun."

Emma Martina Luigia Morano (April 15): Not exactly a celebrity, but she was the last living person to have been verified as born in the 19th century.

Jay Thomas (Aug. 24): No Christmas season was complete without hearing his Lone Ranger story on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

Richard Anderson (Aug. 31): As Oscar Goldman, boss to not only Steve "The Six Million Dollar Man" but also Jamie "The Bionic Woman" Sommers, no one pulled off his eyeglasses with more dramatic effect.

Don Williams (Sept. 8): The gentle giant of 1970s-'80s country music. "I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees ... "

Bernie Casey (Sept. 19): The former NFL running back was a sturdy presence in everything from "Revenge of the Nerds" (1984) to "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" (1988)

John Hillerman (Nov. 9): His Emmy-winning tenure as the very British Jonathan Qualye Higgins III on "Magnum P.I." belied the fact that he was born and raised in Texas.

Mel Tillis (Nov. 19): Famous for speaking with a stutter that was no act, Tillis was the smooth-voiced singer of "Good Woman Blues" and the writer of the Kenny Rogers hit "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town."

Heather North (Nov. 30): It was a rough year for voice actors. She was Daphne on "Scooby-Doo."

Heather Menzies-Urich (Dec. 24): The widow of Robert Urich ("Vegas," "Spenser for Hire") also was Louisa von Trapp in "The Sound of Music."

As always, may they rest in peace, even if we might have forgotten that they are at rest.